Of Tuna and Skylarks Beauty and the Beast Version
by Iwataki
Summary: Prince Hibari was turned into a beast that one winter night, and the only way to return to normal is to love and be loved in return. When Tsuna becomes Hibari's prisoner in place of his father, he can only see him as a beast and nothing else. Can Hibari gain this herbivore's trust and love and break the spell while a certain pineapple's scheming on how to make Tsuna his?
1. Once Upon a Time,

This is Beauty and the Beast, 1827 style. I'll also be twisting the storyline and plot a bit so that it's more interesting...at least I think it'll be more interesting. Just read to find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR!

* * *

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining and large castle. Even though he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled. Selfish. Unkind.

And then, one particularly bitter, cold winter's night, a young child came to the castle, seeking shelter from the snowstorm. All that was offered in return for the services was a single, red rose.

The prince was repulsed by the sight of this weak and pathetic herbivore, only sneering at the gift and telling the young child to leave before he was bitten to death. The young child warned the prince not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within. The prince only dismissed the child once more.

The young child immediately transformed, and in his place stood a handsome wizard, dressed in a sharp, black suit. The prince, realizing his mistake, tried apologizing but this time it was the wizard who sneered instead. As punishment for having no love in his heart, the wizard shot the prince with his magic gun, transforming him into a hideous beast. He also placed a powerful spell on the castle, as well on all who lived there.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast hid himself in his castle, with a magic mirror as his only source to the outside world. The rose the wizard had offered was an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first birthday. If the prince could learn to love another, and earn love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, then he would be doomed to live as a beast for all eternity.

As years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?

X X X

"Dear...are you sure that you should be working on this so early in the morning? I mean, Tsu-kun and the others are still asleep, what if you wake them up?" There was deep booming laughter, followed by a series of ominous clicks and bangs.

"Nana, my dear. You worry too much. Besides, there's nothing to worry about I'm one hundred percent sure that it's going to work this time." More clicks and bangs, then silence. "Now watch the magic begin."

X X X

Tsuna was shocked out of sleep when there was an explosion followed by a violent rumbling. He shrieked and shot up, clutching his sheets to his chest as the rumbling died down.

Still somewhat half-asleep, Tsuna scanned his room. What just happened? He rubbed his ears, trying to get rid of the strange ringing that was resonating inside of them. He faintly heard his parents yelling from the basement and sighed in relief. So it was just another failed experiment by his no-good father. There was knocking on his door, and it opened to reveal a head peeking out from the side.

"Tsuna-nii, are you awake?" Fuuta asked.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Tsuna yawned and scratched his head. Fuuta walked in, clad in his blue pajamas with star imprints on them. Tsuna was a little surprised to see I-pin walk in as well, dressed in her red nightgown. "But why are you guys up so early?"

"Well, Dad woke us up with his invention..." Fuuta frowned and rubbed at his eyes, yawning a bit.

"Yeah, Dad too noisy," I-pin chimed in, also rubbing her eyes and yawning. Tsuna smiled, then kicked off his covers. He made his way to the door and turned back to face his little brother and sister.

"Well, how about we go down and eat breakfast? I'm sure Mom made something really delicious." Fuuta and I-pin cried out in excitement and ran out of his room and down the stairs, all the while teasing each other about who would get first dibs on what to eat. Tsuna decided to hurry up before they really did eat all the good stuff.

When he entered the kitchen he was a little surprised to see Fuuta and I-pin standing in the middle of the room, staring at the table in horror. Tsuna followed their gazes and he stumbled back in horror at the sight in front of him.

"How is this possible!" he cried. Empty. It was so empty. Fuuta and I-pin ran over to Tsuna, clutching onto his shirt.

"Tsuna-nii! I'm just imagining it, right? I'm still asleep and dreaming?" Fuuta whimpered. I-pin whimpered as well and hid her face into Tsuna's leg, afraid that she would start crying. Tsuna hugged them closer and response and just shook his head.

"If this a dream, Fuuta, then it can only be a nightmare," Tsuna replied. Just then, Nana walked in humming a little tune. She was dusted in soot from head to toe, and sneezed a little when she breathed some in. All three of her children gasped in surprise and immediately surrounded their mother.

"Mom! Are you feeling all right? You're not sick are you?" Tsuna exclaimed. Nana blinked in confusion at the worried looks all of her children were giving her.

"What are you talking about, Tsu-kun? I'm just fine," and to prove her point she spun her arms around in circles and began hopping on one foot. "See?"

"But, Mama!" Fuuta grabbed onto her arm, causing her to stop spinning them and stop hopping. "You must be sick since there's no food on the table! You always have breakfast ready by the time we wake up!"

"But-"

Upon hearing this, I-pin began bawling and grabbed onto Nana's leg. "Mama sick!" she sobbed.

"Now just hold on!" Her children were struck speechless at her outburst. It was very rare for their mother to get annoyed, much less angry. "You're all overreacting! Just because there isn't food on the table one morning it's a disaster? I thought your father and I raised you to be less selfish than that. Be grateful that we have food to put on the table in the first place before you start complaining."

Her children were silent as they took the scolding. Tsuna especially bent his head down in shame. What his mother was saying was true. They were only acting like spoiled brats. They should know better than to complain like this.

"Sorry," they all apologized simultaneously. Nana let out an angry huff, but her anger was quickly replaced by a kind and gentle smile.

"As long as you all understand," she patted Fuuta and I-pin on their heads and gave Tsuna a knowing look. He was old enough now that he didn't need to be told twice. "I'll get started on breakfast then. How about blueberry pancakes?" There were instant cries of assent and yes's from the children.

"Pancakes, pancakes!" I-pin chanted then let out a squeal of happiness. Nana smiled then maneuvered around her children and made her way into the kitchen immediately pulling out things from the pantry and cupboard.

"How's Dad's invention coming along, Mama?" Fuuta asked, sitting down at the table along with Tsuna and I-pin.

"It still has a ways to go." Nana huffed in annoyance, "But I'm sure it would go by a lot faster if that older brother of yours decided to come home for once and help."

"But, Mom, I'm sure Dino has his owns things to do at work," Tsuna explained, trying to defend his older brother. "Managing a thrift market is pretty demanding. Besides, you know he'll only do something to break it if he tries helping."

Nana hummed in thought as she took in her son's words. "I guess you're right, Tsu-kun. Well, we'll just leave the work to Papa then." She went to the icebox and dug through it a bit before frowning. "Tsu-kun? Do you mind running to the market to get some blueberries? It seems like we've run out, and I can't make the pancakes without blueberries." Both Fuuta and I-pin gasped in shock at this sudden revelation.

"Go get blueberries, Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta begged.

"Please!" I-pin added, pouting a little for effect. Tsuna pursed his lips as they all continued staring at him.

"Just let me get changed," he sighed and stood up. Fuuta and I-pin let out little cheers. Tsuna made his way upstairs to his room and quickly threw on a simple white cavalier shirt and black plants. He slipped on his boots and grabbed his pouch of money, hanging it from his waist before running downstairs.

"I'll be back!" he called out before running outside. He jumped down the steps and yelped in surprise when he landed awkwardly and stumbled a few feet before coming to a stop. Tsuna glanced behind him, and to his relief no one had seen him in one of his dame moments.

Continuing along the dirt path he passed many birch and fir trees, which were turning red and orange with the coming of fall. He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, wanting to enjoy this good weather for once. It wasn't everyday that the weather decided to be this nice, especially in the fall.

Tsuna eventually made his way into town, which was always crowded with people coming and going from home to work or just wherever. This kind of racket made Tsuna glad that he lived somewhat away from the craziness. Although...his family was crazy enough in itself, so did it really matter? The thought alone was making Tsuna depressed enough that he didn't even notice the eerie figure stalking him from behind.

"So you finally decided to come out, my beautiful flame? Kufufu. Today is the day I'll make you mine, Tsunayoshi-kun. You cannot run away any longer." The man stepped out of the shadows, closely flanked by his subordinates.

"You know? When you say things like that you sound like a really big pervert," the subordinate wearing glasses stated matter-of-factly.

The man felt a vein pop on his temple and he smiled a little too sweetly at his subordinate who was kneeling on the ground. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought." The man went back to staring after the brunette who then turned into the alley leading to the market. "Soon, Tsunayoshi-kun. Soon."

Tsuna felt a chill run down his spine and looked behind him, but the people he saw were only minding their own business and paid him no attention whatsoever. He continued walking towards the market, resolved to just get the blueberries and run the hell back home. The brunette had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be very fun.

"Tsuna!" Said brunette's eyes widened in surprise when he felt someone glomp him from behind. When he turned around he felt himself smiling before he registered that he was.

"Dino!" The blond smiled in return and gave Tsuna a noogie, "Whatcha doing at the market, Tsuna?" He let go and stood back, crossing his arms. Dino was dressed in a green, village rogue garb which, Tsuna thought, really did suit him. It made him look very professional.

"We ran out of blueberries back home, so Mom told me to run out and get some since she's making pancakes," Tsuna explained, trying to smooth down the parts of his hair Dino ruffled up.

"Mama's making blueberry pancakes?" Dino groaned and grabbed his stomach, "Oh, why do I have to work right now? I gotta tell you, Tsuna, maintaining a business is no easy thing. You have to deal with so many cranky people here that sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it."

"Sounds stressful," Tsuna added. Dino just shrugged.

"Well, the pay's good so I can't really complain. Anyways," Dino clapped Tsuna on his shoulder, "let's go get those blueberries for Mama, huh?" Tsuna nodded and Dino guided his little brother down the street, helping him maneuver through the crowd that seemed to never disperse. They finally made it to Uncle Kawahira's, who was quite famous in the town for his top quality fruit, especially his blueberries. His store consisted of just a little stand which was where he sold most of his goods.

"Yo, Kawahira!" Dino called out, leaning on the counter. A young, silver-haired man looked up from where he was sitting and smiled widely at the sight of Dino. As usual he was slurping up some ramen from the bowl he was carrying.

"Ah, Dino-san, Tsuna-san," Kawahira bowed to the both of them respectively. "What can I do for the two of you today?"

"We need some blueberries, Kawahira-san," Tsuna said after bowing back to the silver-haired man. Kawahira stopped in mid-slurp and broke off the noodles, quickly swallowing what he had in his mouth.

"Eh...how should I say this," Kawahira scratched at his chin with the end of his chopstick. "I'm all out." There was a moment of silence as Dino and Tsuna registered his words.

"What?" Dino asked in disbelief, "But you're _never_ out! How could this happen?"

"Sold out. A guy and his friends came by asking to buy all the blueberries that I had in stock today. He seemed to be in a rush or something since he didn't even say thank-you," Kawahira let out an angry huff, then pursed his lips in thought, "Although, I wonder what he needed all of those blueberries for? It was very strange."

"So you don't have _any_?" Tsuna asked, crestfallen. He'd really been looking forward to having blueberry pancakes this morning.

"Well, I still have some other fruit, like apples and the like if you want to buy some," Kawahira suggested, slurping up some more noodles.

"No thanks, Kawahira-san," Tsuna sighed. "See you later, then."

"See you," Kawahira gave them a small wave before focusing his attention on his bowl of ramen. Dino turned to face Tsuna with a small frown on his face.

"We could go get apples from someone else, Tsuna," he suggested. Tsuna just frowned and shook his head.

"You know how mom is, Dino. If it's not from Kawahira-san then she won't want it."

"Yeah...Mama's picky like that, isn't she," Dino's eyebrows furrowed together in thought. The blonde glanced down at his younger brother who was looking absolutely crestfallen. Dino clapped Tsuna on his shoulder and smiled at him reassuringly. "But don't worry about it. I'm sure Mama will understand."

Tsuna nodded, and waved good-bye to the blonde as he went back to work. Although it had been nice seeing Dino, not being able to get any blueberries had put a damper on Tsuna's mood. While his mom would understand, Fuuta and I-pin were a completely different story. The brunette sighed and began walking back towards his house, dragging his feet as he did so. What else was there for him to do?

"Tsunayoshi-kun~" Tsuna froze when he heard that awful, silky and sultry voice call out his name. The brunette turned to face the speaker, praying in the depths of his being that it wasn't who he thought it would be.

"Mukuro..." Tsuna laughed nervously as the indigo-haired man strutted up to him, a smirk on his face. _Not this again..._

"What a coincidence meeting you here, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro purred. Tsuna looked up at him, his caramel eyes meeting heterochromatic blue and red ones.

"Yeah...what a coincidence..." Tsuna frowned and crossed his arms. He was itching to just run away, but he had learned from experience that it wasn't very easy to do that. Mukuro was as stubborn as he was cunning, and he'd find a way to make Tsuna stay as long as it took for him to be happy.

"But you know, Tsunayoshi-kun, I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying. If you want, the Kokuyo group would be more than willing to give you some of our blueberries. We have more than enough," Mukuro rubbed his hands together as he anticipated Tsuna's reply. Tsuna on the other hand was debating whether or not he should take Mukuro up on his offer. It was suspicious in the first place, and Mukuro wasn't the kind of guy to do things for free.

"Oh, I don't know, Mukuro," Tsuna scratched his cheek, "You see, we only get our blueberries from-"

"From Kawahira-san, correct?" Mukuro interrupted. Tsuna frowned and looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah...only from him..." Tsuna clarified. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well, you're in luck, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro's smile seemed to get wider, "We just so happen to have bought blueberries from Kawahira-san this morning. Like I said we're more than glad to give some to you."

The indigo-haired man snapped his fingers and two people Tsuna recognized as Ken and Chikusa walked out from the shadows carrying a box. Mukuro took the box and opened it, holding it out for Tsuna to see. Sure enough, the box contained blueberries and just by the look of them Tsuna knew that they were from Kawahira's.

"Well, if you're so sure," Tsuna replied, taking the box from Mukuro. Then he frowned, "but are you sure you don't want any money or something for it? I don't want you to feel like I've cheated you out of the food you bought for yourself."

"Oya? Well if you insist on payment," Mukuro took a step closer to the brunette and grabbed him by the chin, tilting his head up so that they were staring into each others eyes. "How about a kiss as payment?"

* * *

Whew! I got this done. I really should be working on my other story, but how can I resist two of my favorite things merged together into one? Beauty and the Beast, and KHR.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think. You know, such as if you want me to continue? Reviews help motivate me to write.


	2. There Was a Boy Named Tsuna,

Thanks so much for all of the reviews and alerts! You guys are awesome! I haven't been able to update my stories lately since my family is in the process of moving and we haven't set up internet yet. And until we do, updates might be fairly slow.

A special thanks to:

Belletiger BT, LadySuzy, 18tuna, skylark-san, Reg Greenbaum

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR...must you always remind me?

* * *

"_Oya? Well if you insist on payment," Mukuro took a step closer to the brunette and grabbed him by the chin, tilting his head up so that they were staring into each others eyes. "How about a kiss as payment?"_

X X X

"Um...t- that's not really what I had in mind, Mukuro..." Tsuna stuttered as he twisted out of the other's grasp. Tsuna hugged the box of blueberries closer to his chest, as though it could protect him from the man in front of him. "A- Are you sure that you don't want money instead?"

"Kufufu. Tsunayoshi-kun, does it really matter how you pay as long as I get payment of some sort?" Tsuna stiffened in surprise as Mukuro suddenly slipped an arm around the brunette's waist, and then pulled him in close, holding him in place.

Tsuna flushed in embarrassment, very aware that Mukuro's friends were still there. Even though they were paying them no attention and just seemed to be scaring off some curious eyes, it still really was embarrassing to be in this kind of situation.

"But I would have thought that you'd be more willing, Tsunayoshi-kun. It's just a little kiss," Mukuro grabbed Tsuna by the chin once more. "Better than paying money. It really is very quick and easy, no?" Mukuro hummed questioningly as he awaited the brunette's answer.

"But-"

"Don't be so stubborn," Mukuro growled. There was a hidden threat in Mukuro's voice that alerted Tsuna that Mukuro wasn't going to take no for an answer. Tsuna tried pulling away but Mukuro only tightened his hold on Tsuna's chin and he leaned in closer and purred, "Don't worry, Tsunayoshi-kun. Just relax..."

Tsuna screwed his eyes shut in fear. _This is really happening! I'm going to lose my first kiss to Mukuro! _But Mukuro wasn't given the chance to do anything more when a rope shot out from above the rooftops and encircled itself around Tsuna, blueberry box and all. With a sudden jerk, Tsuna was hoisted into the air, yelling out in surprise as he did so. Mukuro's eyes widened in surprise, but by the time he realized what had happened, the brunette was already gone, having disappeared above the rooftops. Mukuro stood there numbly, then proceeded to punch the nearest wall in frustration.

"Damn it all!" Mukuro snarled, then cried out towards the sky, as if it were the cause of all of his problems. "Why do all of my plans always have to get foiled! Why! Why! Why!"

"Uh...Mukuro-san?"

"What!" Mukuro growled and spun on his feet to face Ken, who visibly flinched at the death glare Mukuro was shooting at him.

"W- Well, I just thought that we should move out since we're attracting a lot of attention- byon." Ken motioned towards the crowd that Mukuro had failed to notice had gathered whilst he had been busy trying to woo Tsuna.

"Why is Mukuro-san going after Dame-Tsuna! He's got nothing to his name at all!"

"No! This is horrible! How am I supposed to continue living now! Mukuro-sama!"

"Dame-Tsuna's one lucky bastard."

Coughing awkwardly, Mukuro fixed up his dress shirt and looked pointedly down the road, ignoring the hushed whispers floating around in the air. "Ken. Chikusa. Let's go. I have many plans to get done, but there is so little time for it. We must hurry."

"Yes, Mukuro-san," they answered in unison and obediently followed their master as he walked down the road, leaving the crowd to their speculations and gossip.

X X X

Meanwhile, with Tsuna...

"Hiee!" Tsuna shrieked as the rope pulled him to Kami knows where. After he had been pulled over the side of the building he continued across the many rooftops, earning cries of surprise from the townspeople below who managed to catch a glimpse of him. Tsuna was tugged to the left and underwent a series of turns and flips when he suddenly found himself hanging upside down. Groaning from dizziness Tsuna looked up, or in his case down, when a dark figure stepped in front of him. He stiffened in fear when he realized who it was.

"R- Reborn!" Tsuna squeaked, as said man smirked at him.

"Chaos, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn greeted. A chill ran down Tsuna's spine at the sadistic gleam in the man's eyes.

"You...but...why would you do something like this, Reborn! And how in the world is this even possible! I could have died you know!" Tsuna cried and began struggling against the ropes still holding him in place. A few people noticed his predicament, but upon seeing who the brunette was with, quickly turned tail and ran, not wanting to incur the wrath of Reborn.

"What was that? I would have thought that you'd show more appreciation towards your savior for saving you from being molested by that punk." Reborn crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the building, smirking as he did so.

Tsuna flushed in embarrassment as he remembered his previous encounter with Mukuro. "H- How did you know about that?"

"I'm sorry, Sawada-san. I got a premonition that something bad was happening to you, so I asked Uncle Reborn to save you, but..." Tsuna turned to face the voice as a small figured stepped out from the shadows. "...I didn't realize he would save you like _this_."

"Yuni! Why are you dressed like that?" Tsuna asked, staring quizzically at her outfit. Unlike her usual attire which consisted of her white mushroom-like hat and white cape, the shaman was wearing a simple emerald gown that flowed around her legs and ended up pooling together at her feet. A dark black cloak was on top of the gown, the hood currently thrown over the young girl's evergreen hair completely hiding it from view.

"Oh," Yuni fingered the hem of the cloak and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I didn't want to attract too much attention. Besides that, I didn't want Gamma or someone else following me around either. I love them to death but I need room to breathe sometimes, too."

"Ah," Tsuna replied, nodding his head in understanding. Yuni was the head of one of the wealthiest families in the town, which was also one of the most influential. So it would make sense that Yuni would want to remain inconspicuous, otherwise she would be hounded by many of the townspeople wanting for the shaman to predict their fortunes...and that wouldn't sit well with Gamma or any other member of her family. Tsuna was glad that he was able to have met Yuni through Reborn, although he would never admit it to the man himself.

"Anyways, I'm glad that we got you away from Mukuro-san, even if Uncle Reborn's method of saving you was a bit...unorthodox. But it worked, so that's all that matters, right?" Yuni clasped her hands together and offered a small smile. Tsuna sighed as he looked into Yuni's blue eyes, or as best as he could since they were shadowed by her hood. Tsuna never could get angry with her. Besides that, he couldn't help but be in awe at her abilities for clairvoyance. She had saved him once again.

"Yeah, and thank you for that, Yuni. But..." Tsuna wriggled against the ropes that were still holding him upside-down, "could you guys let me down now?" Yuni's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she remembered his current situation.

"Of course!" Yuni turned towards Reborn who was still leaning against the wall in a leisurely fashion, "Uncle Reborn, could you let Sawada-san down now, please?"

"Sure, since it's _you_ asking, Yuni..." Reborn stuck his arm out with his palm partly open, "Leon, come back." Immediately, the ropes holding Tsuna merged together into a small, green mold and jumped onto Reborn's outstretched hand. The mold solidified together to reveal the shape-shifting chameleon, Leon, who instantly took its place on the rim of Reborn's fedora. Not having anything holding him up any longer, Tsuna cried out in alarm as he fell to the ground.

"Sawada-san!" Yuni rushed to Tsuna's side and helped prop him up so that he was sitting upright. Tsuna groaned in pain and reached up to rub at the spot on his head that he'd landed on. Yuni noticed this and furrowed her brows together in concern. "Are you okay, Sawada-san?"

"Don't worry about him, Yuni," Reborn said, an annoyed edge to his voice, "If the idiot can't survive something as simple as falling on his head then it would be better for you to save your energy for someone else who's more deserving of your pity." _Reborn's the devil!_ Tsuna screamed in the depths of his mind.

"Uncle Reborn..." Yuni frowned disapprovingly at the man's words from where she was kneeling on the ground. Tsuna just ignored Reborn, since he knew from experience that arguing with him would only result in a kick in the head. But then he remembered the blueberries, and in a slight panic he threw open the box. Checking the contents Tsuna sighed lightly in relief as he saw that the blueberries were all, miraculously, still intact.

Both Reborn and Yuni watched as the brunette stood up box in hand, brushed himself off and bowed, although more to Yuni than Reborn. This wasn't unnoticed by the hitman and a murderous glint shone behind his eyes before being hidden by the edge of his fedora as he bent his head down.

"Thanks again for saving me Yuni," Tsuna stood straight up and shifted the box so that it was resting in the crook of his arm. Yuni smiled and gave a small nod, accepting his thanks. Sensing a sudden murderous aura Tsuna stiffened slightly, and stiffened even more when he noticed that it was coming from Reborn. Yuni seemed unaffected by it as she just gave Tsuna a puzzled look, but when Reborn tilted his head Tsuna managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes and the sight of them alone petrified the brunette. Forcing his mouth to move, Tsuna managed to stutter out, "T- Thanks to you t- too...Reborn."

"Do you really think I need _your_ thanks, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn growled, pulling out a gun from his suit jacket. Tsuna immediately froze at the sight of the black weapon, a cold chill running down his spine as horrible memories of his childhood shot across his mind. Gulping, Tsuna began backing away, taking baby steps as to not aggravate Reborn any more than he already was.

"I- I guess if y- you don't want it, then-" Tsuna was interrupted when Reborn pulled the trigger and the bullet just barely grazed Tsuna's cheek, continuing into and through the wall behind him. There were some screams and shouts, and Tsuna just hoped with all of his being that the bullet hadn't hit anyone.

"Go back home before I..._accidentally_ shoot you, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn ordered, amused. _Reborn's definitely the devil!_ Not wanting to see whether Reborn was serious or not, Tsuna bolted down the road and towards his house. Once the brunette was out of hearing range Reborn put his gun away and offered his hand to Yuni, who took it gratefully and used it to stand up.

"Thank you, Uncle Reborn," Yuni smiled at the older man, but frowned in thought as she watched Tsuna run down the road. Noticing her worried expression Reborn placed a hand under her hood and ruffled her hair. Yuni screwed her eyes shut and pouted cutely as she waited for him to finish.

"Now what's that worried look for, Yuni?" Reborn inquired, grinning as she tried flattening the parts of her hair that he made stick up. Yuni stopped her movements as he said this and clasped her hands together like she was praying.

"I...I don't know, Uncle Reborn, it's just-" at this Yuni placed her hands over her heart, a pained expression on her face. "Every time I think of Sawada-san, my heart clenches painfully and fills up with anxiety. Something horrible is going to happen to him, but I don't know what it is...something- or someone blocks my vision each time I try to look further into Sawada-san's future. I feel so useless..." Yuni rubbed at her eyes and leaned into the wall, wrapping her arms around herself.

Reborn frowned at this new knowledge and place a reassuring hand on top of Yuni's head. Yuni looked up at the hitman, tears lining her eyes and a concerned frown on her face.

"Don't think like that anymore, Yuni. You're a great shaman, just like your mother and grandmother. If someone's preventing you from seeing Tsuna's future, then that means that we really should be careful. If they don't want us to know what's going to happen then we should try our best to find out what exactly is going to happen. And standing here doing nothing won't change anything." A dark look appeared on Reborn's face as he said this. Yuni took in Reborn's words, carefully analyzing them in her mind. Dissecting them and placing them in her heart for future reference.

"So don't worry anymore, Yuni, all right? That dame, even though he doesn't look like it, can take care of himself. Besides..." Reborn looked away, his fedora hiding his expression, "I don't like seeing you like this, and I'm sure Tsuna wouldn't either."

"Uncle Reborn..." Yuni looked up at the hitman in a mix of surprise and admiration. Even though Reborn was the one person in the world who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in between your eyes, he really did have a soft side to him as well.

"Princess!" A voice bellowed out before either of them could say anything else. Yuni's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the voice.

"Gamma!" She cried as she was suddenly wrapped in a pair of protective arms. Yuni squirmed against the hold until she managed to pull her face out from the blonde man's shoulder. "Gamma...I can't breathe..." Gamma quickly slackened his hold on the young girl, although he kept sure to keep her in his arms, afraid that she would disappear if he let go.

"Why did you just disappear like that, Princess!" Gamma pulled down Yuni's hood so that he could get a good look at her face. "I was so- I mean, everyone was so worried about you! What if you had gotten attacked or worse, kidnapped!"

"Gamma!" Yuni pressed her hands into his chest, effectively interrupting him. "I'm fine! Besides, I was with Uncle Reborn so I was perfectly safe." Gamma frowned and glared towards Reborn, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement until it was replaced with annoyance.

"Do you doubt my abilities to protect her, Gamma?" Reborn hissed under his breath. He felt his fingers twitch instinctively for the gun in his jacket.

"Not at all, Reborn," Gamma replied, his voice a little gruff. "But you could have at least notified everyone so that we knew Princess was safe."

"Stop it, Uncle Reborn!" Yuni then turned that glare onto Gamma who was still glaring at Reborn, but shrank back somewhat when Yuni's glare finally took effect. "And you stop too, Gamma. Fighting isn't something we need right now.

"Stop it you two, and Gamma," Gamma twitched as he was addressed by the young shaman, "we're going home. _Now_." Gamma nodded and released Yuni so she could walk fine. Yuni bowed slightly towards Reborn and bid him good-bye, she and Gamma eventually walking down the road towards their mansion. Gamma kept a hand on the small of Yuni's back, escorting her and shoving away those who were determined on getting to the young shaman with his free hand.

Reborn just sighed, annoyed, and watched after the duo. Luckily, since Yuni wasn't wearing her normal attire she wasn't hounded like she normally was by the townspeople and Gamma was able enough to protect her from those that did recognize her.

But then that brought the hitman back to what Yuni had said about Tsuna. Yuni's predictions were almost always correct, and so that meant that Tsuna really was going to be in trouble. Whatever it was, Reborn hoped that it didn't have anything to do with that pineapple pervert. Since after all, Reborn didn't want his pupil being taken away quite yet.

X X X

As Tsuna walked up to his humble abode he immediately knew something was up when the whole family was outside and forming a half-circle around something he couldn't see. Unfortunately, it was Tsuna's father, Iemitsu, who noticed the brunette approaching first. Tsuna stopped in his tracks and grimaced. _Oh boy...first Mukuro and now him..._

"Ah! My cute son is finally home!" At this Iemitsu bounded over to his son's side and placed a hand on the small of his back, pushing him forward. "Now come on, son, you must see this! Look at the contraption that's going to make your old dad win first place in the fair tomorrow!"

Tsuna was pushed in line with his other family members and was immediately latched onto by Fuuta and I-pin who were bouncing up and down excitedly. Nana was grinning widely and blushed a little as Iemitsu wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Now, having no choice but to go along with his family's antics he moved his eyes over to the large and bulky machine that lay before him.

"Um...so what is it supposed to be doing exactly?" Tsuna frowned, unimpressed, as nothing happened.

"Huh? Oh!" Iemitsu roared with laughter as he walked up to the machine. "Forgot to turn it on!"

"Oh, Dear," Nana giggled, "You can be so silly sometimes." Iemitsu just chuckled, embarrassed then threw the lever on the side of the machine.

"Well! Now watch the magic happen!" Iemitsu ran backwards as the machine began whirring and vibrating violently in place. Tsuna gulped and stepped in front of his younger siblings protectively, knowing from experience what usually happened with his father's inventions.

"You see that pile of wood over there?" Iemitsu pointed to the pile of tree logs just to the side of the machine as he went to explain his invention. "Well, once it's done powering up that crane right there that's connected to the machine will swing down onto that pile and pick up a log and bring it onto the machine where the ax will swing down and chop it in half. Then the chopped wood will pile up on the other side and voila! You have wood that you can just pop into the fire! Pretty amazing, huh?"

"If it actually works this time..." Tsuna grumbled under his breath, and as usual, the one to hear him was his mother who immediately glared at her son.

"Be nice to your father, Tsu-kun!" Nana scolded, pulling on his cheek. "So apologize!" _Ow!_ Tsuna screwed his eyes shut and whimpered as the pressure increased. His mother could be a very scary woman when she wanted to be.

"It's all right, Nana," Iemitsu said, grinning broadly. Obviously he wasn't bothered at all by the fact that his wife was pinching the skin off of Tsuna's cheek. "It's also my fault for making faulty inventions that he couldn't trust in."

"Dear..." Nana pouted, but still released her vice-like grip on Tsuna who immediately scooted away in case she decided to come back for round two. But then the machine began whirring loudly.

"Now..." Iemitsu rubbed his hands together expectantly, "it begins." If Tsuna had known how true his father's words would be, he would have done everything in his power at that moment to keep his father from going to the competition. But alas, where is the fun in that?

* * *

Again, I'm sorry for the really late update, but no internet equals no updates. I think we'll have internet set up in a couple weeks. The internet people, I forget who they are...I think it's either Comcast or Quest...have to 'check' things out before they set it up. Ugh. Anyways, I'll keep working on my stories and update when I get the chance to.

So, on that note...please review! I love reading what you guys think about the story and where I can improve.


	3. Who Lived a Stressful Life,

Hey guys, sorry for the late update, but I just went through a tough time and wasn't in the mood to work on my stories. Some of you might not want to hear my complaining but I just really wanted to let you guys know why updates were slow. I'm also trying to finish up my summer homework (which I completely procrastinated on) so hopefully I can get that done. _Sigh..._＿|￣|○

Thanks to these people for reviewing. You guys are the reason I write in the first place. Thanks so much! You guys rock!

RainyParadise, Final Syai Lunar Generation (Oh, yes. I remember you ^v^), Moonpuzzle, Miss Nightshadow, Misaki19, Exile Wrath, SprayPaintAndABrickWall42.

* * *

"_Now..." Iemitsu rubbed his hands together expectantly, "it begins." If Tsuna had known how true his father's words would be, he would have done everything in his power at that moment to keep his father from going to the competition. _

_But where's the fun in that?_

X X X

To put it simply...Tsuna lived a cursed life. He didn't know why, but he did.

Exhibit A: Mukuro harassing him earlier that morning. (Unlike what some of the other villagers might say you _**never**_ should want this to happen to you.)

Exhibit B: Being saved by Reborn. (Should say enough in itself.)

Exhibit C: Being attacked by another of his father's inventions. (...)

And now here was Tsuna sitting on the couch as his mother applied some cream to his back where the machine's crane had hit him. Somehow the blasted thing had managed to malfunction, which sent it spiraling out of control and right in between Tsuna's shoulder blades. Thankfully, Tsuna hadn't been that hurt but it still didn't mean that it didn't hurt like heck!

The only good thing that had come out of that was that Tsuna had managed to protect Fuuta, I-Pin and the blueberries. Yep. Everyone had been so worried about the blueberries...It should be fair if Tsuna started hating blueberries now, right?

Then his dad had begun leaping for joy because immediately after attacking him it the crane had moved over to the pile of logs and _actually worked_. Then Iemitsu began leaping for joy because his invention working meant that he could leave for the fair on time.

"Ow!" Tsuna's thoughts were interrupted when his mother pressed harshly against his bruising back and caused him to gasp and arch from the pain. He shot his mother a tearful glare. "Can't you be a bit gentler, Mom? You're killing me here!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Tsu-kun," Nana scolded. "Why can't you be more like your father and just deal with the pain? When he was hit with his automatic furniture maker and broke a rib I didn't hear him complain even once."

_Yeah, cause he's 200 pounds of freaking muscle and is probably used to it! _Tsuna mentally screamed. But he wouldn't ever dare to say that out loud to his mother. Women in love were scary beings. So instead, Tsuna just sighed and took his mother's treatment without any complaints.

X X X

Tsuna sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. His mother wouldn't take his injury as an excuse for not doing any of his chores, so here he was making his way to the chicken coop while the rest of his family enjoyed breakfast. And all because his father wanted eggs.

X X X

"_Where are the eggs?" Iemitsu had asked immediately when he saw the blueberry pancakes on the plate before him._

"_Eggs, Dear?" Nana questioned while pausing in the process of cutting into her own pancakes._

"_Yes! Breakfast isn't a man's breakfast without eggs, Nana-my-dear! A man needs protein in his meals!" Iemitsu stated heartily and pounded his chest in what Tsuna thought was supposed to be 'manly'._

"_Oh, okay," Nana then turned towards Tsuna who'd been vigorously digging into his share of pancakes. "Tsu-kun? Be a dear and go fetch some eggs for your father, _please._" The way she said please told Tsuna that he had no choice in the matter whatsoever. And so..._

X X X

Tsuna sighed heavily as he finally reached the chicken coop. The old shed had been modified by his dad a few years back so that the hens could live their lives happily and lay their eggs in peace.

Pushing the door open Tsuna walked in leaving the door slightly ajar. The hens all looked at him but then went back to their business as they saw it was nothing dangerous. Would it be fair if he started hating eggs, too?

Sighing, Tsuna walked over to one of the nests and was about to wake the hen, but froze when he felt a hand caress the back of his neck, brushing against the hair there and sending shivers down his spine. Spinning around, Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise when he saw who it was.

"Kufufufu. Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro grinned and gave a small wave.

"OHMIGO-!" A pair of hands immediately shot out and covered Tsuna's mouth, stifling his cry.

"Shh..." Mukuro's eyes narrowed as he hushed the brunette, "Must you always overreact like this? It's getting really annoying."

"M-Mukuro? What are you doing here!" Tsuna hissed after pulling the other's hands away from his mouth.

"I'm here to offer you my declaration of love. Why else would I be here?" Mukuro replied and smiled, as though that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hmph..." Tsuna ignored Mukuro and turned back to the hen's nest. Something that did not go unnoticed by the indigo-haired man. "Well, I'm busy. Can't you come another time?"

"Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro purred and moved closer to the brunette. Tsuna stiffened as he suddenly felt the other's arms wrap around him from behind and pull him close. The brunette was instantly reminded of today's earlier events and twisted out of his grasp before he could do anything.

Backing away, Tsuna glared at his offender. "Mukuro. What are you doing?"

"Ah, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro declared the other's name while sweeping his arm out so that it was outstretched towards the brunette, his other hand placed over his heart. "For too long I have waited for this moment. I would have told you this morning but fate took you away from me before I could get the chance."

"Eh? What the hell are you talking about?" Tsuna gave Mukuro a disgusted look. Mukuro ignored the brunette's pointed look and instead walked up to him, taking his hands into his own and clasping them together.

"It's about time you started thinking about _our _future, Tsunayoshi-kun. I won't allow you to run away and deny it any longer. It's our destiny to be together," Mukuro squeezed Tsuna's hands for emphasis and moved closer so that he was barely ghosting over the other's lips. "And then we will live happily...ever...after."

"Ah! Y-You know what? I completely forgot!" Tsuna hastily pulled his hands away and dashed over to a hen's nest. She clucked in surprise and moved out of the way, revealing four eggs surrounded by straw. He picked one up and twirled it between his pointer finger and thumb before showing it to Mukuro. "I-I have to get these to my dad before he starts complaining otherwise I'll never hear the end of it."

"Tsunayoshi-kun..." Mukuro's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I told you I won't allow you to run away from this." He moved to grab for Tsuna's arm but Tsuna immediately moved out of reach and began backing away, using the wall as a guide as he made his way towards the door.

"L-Look. I-I'm flattered and all, Mukuro, but I really need some time to think about this! It's not something that has to be rushed, right?" Tsuna forced a smile on his face, but Mukuro's stolid expression said that he was having none of it. Laughing nervously, Tsuna reached behind for the door handle only to freeze when he realized that it wasn't budging. Hoping that he just hadn't pushed hard enough Tsuna tried again. Then again. And again. At this point Tsuna was leaning against the door, feebly pulling at the handle to no avail. "Why is it locked?"

"Kufufu. It's locked so that nothing or no one can interfere with our undying love," Mukuro purred and opened his arms. "Now come here, Tsunayoshi-kun. Fly into my arms and tell me you'll marry me. We won't leave until you say yes."

"No! You're crazy if you think I'll just go along with this!" Tsuna took on a haunted look as Mukuro began stalking up to him. He didn't know how Mukuro had managed to lock the door, but that was the least of worries at the moment.

Mukuro was leering at him, and there was a sort of hunger behind his eyes as well that Tsuna immediately felt cautious about. Everything in him was screaming at him to run, but the door was bolted shut. He was trapped. Wait! He could still...

"Breaking the door down won't accomplish anything either, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro stated, reading the other's mind. "Even if you managed to do that I have Ken, Chikusa and Flan out there, ready to catch you if they have to. Now come."

"NO!" Tsuna panicked and immediately threw the only thing he had on hand. There was a cracking noise as the egg shattered against Mukuro's chest, the yolk and white sliding down, leaving behind a trail on his shirt. Mukuro just stared down at his shirt while Tsuna was busy pulling out his hair and panicking on the inside. _Ohmigod_! _What did I just do!_

"Oya?" Mukuro tugged at his shirt and glared down at the egg as though that could make it disappear, "What bad taste, Tsunayoshi-kun, if you were feeling so shy you should have just said so. I don't mind going slow. But, now you've gone and ruined one of my best and favorite shirts."

"Ah. I'm sorry about your shirt but you're wrong. So wrong," Tsuna sighed heavily and fell against the door, suddenly feeling completely worn out. He was having a tough time keeping up with Mukuro as he just kept twisting around Tsuna's actions and words so that they only benefited him and Tsuna was having a hard time keeping up. "I just don't want anything to do with you, Mukuro. I don't even feel anything for you. So can you just open the door and let me get back to what I was doing?"

"No."

Tsuna's head snapped back to face Mukuro, shocked. _So blunt!_ Mukuro scowled at Tsuna then looked down at his shirt. Smirking, he brought his hands up he grasped the collar before trailing down and unbuttoning the top button.

"W-Wait!" Tsuna felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment as the man continued onto the next button. "What are you doing!"

"Well, -unbutton- I can't exactly -unbutton- wear this when it's -unbutton-soiled like this -unbutton- now can I?" Mukuro smirked as he shed his shirt and let it tumble to the ground, pooling at his feet. Tsuna squeaked in embarrassment and covered his eyes as he tried to keep from staring at Mukuro's bare chest, which was really slim and toned, and tanner than Tsuna would have- _No! What am I thinking! Stupid, stupid mind!_

Mukuro sweat-dropped and stared in concern as Tsuna began banging his forehead against the door with more force than Mukuro would have liked. Deciding to stop him before he could get do any serious damage Mukuro hooked an arm around Tsuna's waist and pulled him close.

"Kufufu...Were you that happy to see my chest?" Tsuna tensed when Mukuro leaned down and purred into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Tsuna screwed his eyes shut, flushing and acutely aware of Mukuro's bare chest pressing against his back and his hand caressing his jaw. Tsuna didn't even know why he was getting all flustered. But then again, Mukuro had never been as bold as he had until these last couple months. So it would make sense for anyone to feel like this, right?

"Oya? I've left you speechless...Did I hit the mark?" Mukuro chuckled before licking Tsuna's ear in one languid stroke before nibbling on it. "Wanna see more?"

Tsuna inhaled sharply and slammed a hand on his ear while trying to pull away. "No! Mukuro, stop!" Suddenly, Tsuna's legs tangled with Mukuro's causing him to slip and fall, pulling Mukuro along with him. Tsuna groaned and tried to move up but then gasped as he felt Mukuro straddle his waist and and pin his arms above his head.

"Wha-! Stop!" Tsuna struggled against Mukuro's hold, feeling his eyes water with fear. He didn't want this. He was scared, didn't want this and Mukuro wasn't listening to him at all. "S-Stop!"

"I won't stop, Tsunayoshi-kun. Do you know how long I've waited to make you mine?" Mukuro nipped softly at Tsuna's collarbone before trailing up to his neck and jaw. He smirked in satisfaction when Tsuna bit his bottom lip in order to stifle a moan. Mukuro moved Tsuna's arms so that he was holding them with only his left hand while his right hand began sliding under Tsuna's shirt. "It's been too long. So why don't you just stop resisting and give in. Give me what-"

The door suddenly burst open, interrupting whatever Mukuro was about to say. There were dull thuds as two figures fell at the doorway, groaning about evil fathers. Mukuro started when he realized that they were Ken and Chikusa.

"Sorry, Master...This guy flicked me on my forehead. It hurt, so I opened the door for him so he wouldn't do it anymore." A monotonous voice stated as he walked in and over Ken and Chikusa's bodies.

"Flan...You're fired..." Mukuro chuckled darkly as he looked over at his apprentice, who sure enough was sporting a rather large bump on his forehead. So, the monster father had come, huh?

"Eh? But why-" Flan was interrupted when a large hand patted him on his shoulder and moved him out of the way.

"I went to go see what was keeping my cute son from bringing me those eggs and I find some naughty children wanting to play with him," the figure chuckled darkly, and cracked his knuckles threateningly, causing Mukuro to flinch. "And here's a particularly naughty child who needs another reminder of why he isn't allowed to play with my cute son anymore."

"D-Dad?" Tsuna queried as he blinked away tears. Iemitsu grinned and gave his son a thumbs up as he walked into the building, also trampling on the bodies of Ken and Chikusa.

"Yep! Your father has come to save you, Tsuna!" he announced and his grin grew wider, although Tsuna could swear that his dad sounded a little too happy for some reason.

"Kufufu...Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to say this before you do that," Mukuro chimed in while releasing Tsuna's arms and moving away from him. Tsuna blinked in surprise but took that chance to scoot away and go to his father's side where he half-hid behind him.

Iemitsu frowned but nodded nonetheless, seeing as how Tsuna was already out of harm's way. "Well, what is it, Mukuro?"

Mukuro stood up and brushed himself off before opened his mouth to reply, but then he suddenly pointed at the ceiling, his eyes widening. "Oh, look! An anonymous object!"

"What! Where?" Iemitsu followed Mukuro's gaze and stared up at the ceiling.

Mukuro raced to action. Adrenaline pumping, he immediately ran to the door, grabbed both Ken and Chikusa by the collars and pulled them after him as he ran like death itself was after him. Tsuna could wait for another time.

"Hey, there's nothing there-" Iemitsu looked back to where Mukuro had been standing and gawked in surprise when he saw that he was gone. Then he turned to Tsuna, shock clearly plastered on his face. "He lied to me!"

"Yeah...Mukuro's been known to do that," Tsuna replied dully. Then he caught sight of Flan still standing in the middle of the building whom looked back with an impassive look on his face. "You're...still here, Flan?"

"Yeah, my pineapple-headed master can be a real jerk when it comes to treating me," Flan sighed and looked over at the door. "Well, I'll just be on my way then. Thanks for not knocking me unconscious, oh strong-yet-merciful-father."

"No problemo, kid," Iemitsu grinned and waved Flan off as he walked out. Then he glanced at Tsuna from the corner of his eye to see him sniff and hug himself. Frowning, Iemitsu placed a hand on his son's back and waited until Tsuna was looking at him to speak. "You okay, Tsuna? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No...b-but..." Tsuna felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as his dad looked at him. How his dad knew about Mukuro was surprising in the first place, since Tsuna had been trying to keep it a secret. When Mukuro first began wooing Tsuna the thought of his mom or dad knowing about that had seemed horrifying. And then he felt ashamed for having to hide it in the first place, but by the time he felt that too much time had passed and the lid was too tightly sealed. That's how things had been, and that's how things would continue to be. He could still find a way to keep the lid sealed.

"Haha...I guess Mukuro was just playing a little too rough. I'll have to tell him to take it easy next time, huh?" Tsuna forced a smile

"Don't lie to me." Tsuna stared at Iemitsu in surprise, only to see his usual happy-go-lucky face replaced with a serious one. "I know that this isn't the first time he's gone after you, Tsuna. So don't lie anymore, all right?"

"I..." Tsuna swallowed thickly and wiped at his eyes, his lip quivering as he tried to hold himself together, "I-I was so s-scared, Dad. M-Mukuro- he...he..."

"Hey, it's okay. As long as he didn't hurt you, then that's all that matters...And don't worry, as long as Dad's here he'll protect you." Iemitsu smiled softly and then patted Tsuna on the back encouragingly, "Now, come on. Go get those eggs to you're mother before she starts worrying. I'll be there in a minute."

"'Kay..." Tsuna wiped at his eyes again and grabbed a couple eggs. "See you then." Even though he always called his father useless, he really wasn't _that_ useless was he?

As soon as Tsuna was gone, Iemitsu glanced down at Mukuro's shirt, which had been abandoned in the whole fiasco. Gritting his teeth in anger, Iemitsu walked over to the shirt and instantly stomped on it, grounding it into to the dirt.

"Don't worry, Tsuna. Dad will definitely protect you. I won't ever let that prophecy come true."

X X X

"Tsu-kun!"

"Yeah, Mom?" Tsuna answered as he leaned over the railing. He saw his mom standing at the foot of the stairs who looked up when he popped into view.

"Enma-kun's here to see you!" Nana exclaimed, and turned as she headed back into the kitchen. "He's waiting in the kitchen right now, so come down and greet him!"

"Ah! Okay, be right down!" Tsuna ran down the stairs and rounded the corner, following after his mother. After the whole incident with Mukuro, Iemitsu had told Nana that the reason Tsuna was taking so long was because he got preoccupied playing with the hens. Nana easily accepted that and then had gone on to cook the eggs.

The truth was...Tsuna had been trying to keep his parents in the dark about the whole thing involving Mukuro. He wasn't sure what they would do if they ever found out. Probably get the police involved (not that they would do anything) or in the worse case scenario...get Reborn involved. Tsuna shuddered at the thought. Although Reborn already knew about Mukuro his parents would probably get him to act as a full-time bodyguard or something like that. _Ugh..._Tsuna shuddered again at that thought, since Reborn would only kill him in the end.

But then that reminded Tsuna...someway or another his dad had already known about Mukuro...but how? He was sure that he'd been doing a good job keeping it secret, especially since his dad rarely ever went out to town always so busy with his inventions. Maybe his dad was a lot more attentive than he gave him credit for. Either way, he promised to keep it a secret from his mom under the condition that Tsuna would keep his dad informed on anything else involving Mukuro. It was a win-lose situation, but Tsuna was happy with it nonetheless.

Tsuna then finally ended up in the kitchen to find Enma sitting at the table and munching on one of the leftover pancakes, his mom washing the dishes in the sink. He sighed lightly. Leave it to his mom to make sure any guest of hers gets fed.

"Morning, Enma-kun," Tsuna greeted the red-head with a small smile as he walked over to him.

"Ah, Duna-gun, mormim," Enma greeted back with half of the pancake still stuffed into his mouth. He swallowed the pancake and sighed contently, leaning back into his seat. "Oka-san, your cooking is just amazing. I feel like I'm in heaven right now."

"Aw, thank you, Enma-kun. You're so sweet," Nana cooed, and blushed lightly from the compliment. "Now if Tsu-kun could just learn to be as appreciative then I would be the happiest mother in the world."

"Mom!" Tsuna whined as Enma chuckled. Nana giggled before going back to the dishes. Sighing, Tsuna leaned on top of the backboard of a chair as he asked, "So, what brings you here? You usually never leave your house this early."

"Well...Julie got Adel all worked up and she started attacking him, so I thought I'd just hang out with you until it's safe to go back," Enma looked at Tsuna hopefully. "If that's okay with you."

Enma's family...Adel, Julie, Shitt P., Kaoru, Rauji and Koyo. Even though all of them were orphaned they were all as close as a family could get, being a very nice and caring group of people...although they could get a little out of control of times. Still, they treated Tsuna as part of their family and were some of his good friends, Enma being his closest.

"Yeah. Sure. I need to get my mind off of things, too." Tsuna admitted and grimaced as he recalled today's events.

Enma noticed the look on Tsuna's and and frowned in understanding. "Oh...He bothered you again?"

Nana's head shot up in interest at this, "Who was bothering you, Tsu-kun?"

"Ah! No, no! It's nothing important, really! Don't worry about it," Tsuna shook his head and hands frantically, before grabbing Enma's arm and pulling him to his feet. "Come on, let's go, Enma-kun!"

"A-All right. See you, Oka-san, and thanks again for the food," Enma managed out as Tsuna dragged him out the door.

"Bye-bye, Enma-kun!" Nana called out, then began humming as she started drying the plates with a towel.

"Nana?" Iemitsu walked into the kitchen with his travel bag slung over his shoulder, "Do you know where Tsuna is? I wanted to tell him something before I left."

"Oh, you just missed him, Dear. He left with Enma-kun and didn't even say good-bye!" Nana sighed, "What am I going to do about that boy...maybe he's becoming rebellious."

"I wouldn't worry, Nana," Iemitsu chuckled before pulling her into a hug and placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "Well, I'm going to head out now, otherwise it will be far into night by the time I reach the town."

"Oh, okay. Good luck, Dear. Bring back first prize and make us all proud, we'll be rooting for you!"

"Yep! I'll definitely bring back first prize. Tell Tsuna that I'll be back in time for his birthday. Knowing him, he'll definitely be sad if I miss it."

X X X

"Whoa..." Iemitsu pulled his horse to a stop as he spotted a lone figure leaning against a tree off to the side of the road. He squinted until he managed to recognize the fedora and black suit. "Reborn! You come to wish me good luck or what?"

Reborn smirked and pulled away from the tree, walking over to the blonde who still sat on top of horse. "Something like that. But more-so because I felt like you were going to seek me out anyways." He tilted his head so that the rim of his fedora was just barely covering his eyes, making them look narrower than they normally were.

"Jeez.." Iemitsu shook his head in disbelief, "Sometimes I forget just how good of a mind-reader you can be."

"Well, what do you need?" Reborn asked. Iemitsu's features hardened as he gazed down at the hitman.

"I need you to help me protect Tsuna."

"I have been...you should know that," Reborn's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry about him, nothing will happen as long as I'm around."

"I know. I'm just getting worried," Iemitsu frowned and scanned the tree-line, feeling like something or someone was hiding within them. "Tsuna's turning seventeen soon, and then it's just a matter of counting down the days until he turns eighteen. And it seems like Mukuro's going to be trying even harder to get to Tsuna. He had a close call today, but thankfully I was able to get there in time."

"A close call, huh? Man, Mukuro works fast, doesn't he?" Reborn chuckled darkly, but stopped when Iemitsu glared at him. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him while you're off playing with your silly, little toy."

"Hey! This 'silly, little toy' is going to change the future! Just wait and see! Hah!" Iemitsu flicked the reins, spurring his horse on down the road, his invention in tow behind him.

"Don't get lost!" Reborn called after him, but by then Iemitsu was too far off to reply and so he was only answered with silence.

Reborn exhaled softly. With his little meeting done and over with, he had no reason to remain here. So then he turned and began walking back towards the town. Iemitsu's concern was understandable, but Reborn knew how Tsuna's mind worked, and so his concern was unneeded. At most, it was just a bother.

The prophecy of seventeen years ago...Reborn would be sure not to let it come true. At least...not now. And most definitely not in this pitiful town. Unlike what Iemitsu led himself to believe, there was no way to stop or change the future. The shaman who had foretold that prophecy never failed in her predictions.

So...if the world was going to end in one year he might as well have some fun until then.

* * *

Sorry if the story seems to be dragging on, I just have to have some development in it otherwise my mind won't be at peace. But I promise that it won't be like this for long. The story will definitely move on in the next chapter or so. Update will be...who knows when. ┐('～`；)┌

And again, sorry for the late update, but life got in the way and my laziness got in the way. Why must I be so lazy! (╯°□°）╯

On that note, now you know a little more about your good-for-nothing authoress who only has this to say: Please review! ＼| ￣ヘ￣|／＿＿θ ( *o*)/ Kick

Haha...I'm having so much fun sticking these emoticons everywhere (are they even showing up? O.o ), but please do review! I like hearing what you guys think, where I can improve, that kind of stuff.


End file.
